Getty Former New York Jets offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson posing for a photo.
The New York Jets hope Olu Fashanu ends up being half the player that D’Brickashaw Ferguson was.
Rich Cimini of ESPN sat down with the Jets Ring of Honor member to pick his brain about the latest Jets’ first-round draft choice.
“I’m excited for a player like him,” Ferguson told Cimini in a column posted on Sunday, May 19. “This is a ripe opportunity to grow in. Had the Jets not made so many moves, I think the expectation would’ve been even harder because now if he doesn’t perform, they’re going to look for other ways to make fixes. But I think they put him in a position to have success. I’m happy and excited to see where this goes.”
Fashanu is expected to start his NFL career on the bench behind future Pro Football Hall of Famer Tyron Smith. The team has also strongly indicated that Fashanu will stay at left tackle based on his exclusive experience at the position at the collegiate level.
All Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
For the second straight offseason, the Jets selected a player in the first round who isn’t expected to play much as a rookie.
In 2023 the green and white snagged Iowa State pass rusher Will McDonald with the No. 15 overall pick. He ended up playing the fewest number of snaps for a Jets first-round pick since Vernon Gholston back in 2008.
Interestingly before the draft, Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked about his view on taking a prospect in the first round that won’t play right away versus someone who could make an immediate impact.
“I think it’s a positive thing if you have enough depth on your team so that a draft pick doesn’t have to come in and play right away. I would say just about anyone we draft it’s going to be a dog fight to break [into] the starting lineup,” Douglas explained on April 19 ahead of the draft. “It’s going to be tough for anyone we draft to come in to just stake their claim for a starting spot.”
Did Joe Douglas just hint where the #Jets are leaning in the 2024 #NFLDraft?@BrianCoz asked JD for his view on taking a prospect that won’t play right away on paper vs an immediate impact guy:
‘I think it’s a positive thing if you have enough depth on your team so that a… pic.twitter.com/QqQQsPn0kO
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) April 19, 2024
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Douglas believes patience is a virtue and that’s something that Ferguson agrees with.
“The NFL has gotten to the place where they want immediate impact, but I think for people to learn what that transition is like to the league, it just benefits you,” Ferguson told Cimini of ESPN.
Jets Need to Break the Curse in 2024 or Shortly Thereafter
Ferguson announced his retirement from the National Football League in April of 2016. For 10 years he was a pillar of consistency and excellence at the left tackle spot for the Jets.
If you never heard an offensive lineman’s name during a game that meant it was likely a good thing. No penalty flags or broadcasters highlighting them for blowing a block.
Because of that Ferguson’s reliability was often taken for granted among Jets fans. However, the team soon came to a brutal realization that life was going to be different post-Ferguson.
From 2016 through 2023, New York trotted out five different blindside protectors at the beginning of those campaigns:
- Ryan Clady (2016)
- Kelvin Beachum (2017 through 2019)
- Mekhi Becton (2020)
- George Fant (2021 through 2022)
- Duane Brown (2023)
It has been a wild revolving door that has featured a rookie, a longtime NFL veteran, a journeyman, and everything in between. New York hopes the circus ride stops in 2024.
On paper, the Jets have Smith as the starter for now, and Fashanu as the long-term answer at the position. Ferguson believes the Jets have the right plan to fix the problem for the foreseeable future.